Election: Fire levy at issue in Painesville Township

Voters in Painesville Township will decide Nov. 5 if a fire levy the township’s trustees placed on the ballot should pass.
A continuing (permanent) 2.9-mill additional levy is proposed for fire capital expenses.
It would generate $1,022,175 annually at a cost of $101.50 per $100,000 of property value, according to the Lake County Auditor’s Office.
As of Aug. 2, there were 9,646 people in Painesville Township fire district eligible to vote on the levy, according to the Lake County Elections Board.
Before 2011, the fire department was receiving funding out of money collected through what was once the Tangible Personal Property Tax. That taxed large items owned by industries, of which Painesville Township has many.
In 2011, the township received $426,000 through that tax but that program is being phased out by the state government and replaced by the commercial activity tax.
Each year, Painesville Township will receive less money from that program until it is completely phased out.
Painesville Township Fire Chief Frank Whittaker said the township is especially reliant on those funds because they have a large industry base.
“We had it as a higher percentage of our total budget so they weaned us off,” Whittaker said in comparison to other communities in Ohio.
As a township they do not collect income tax.
Painesville Township Fire Department Chief Frank Whittaker said the around $0.5 million cut to his $3 million budget is significant and needs reinforcement.

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Devon covers Painesville City and schools, in-depth topics and splits his time on the copy desk. He's traveled around the world, worked in TV and loves coffee, music, theater and the OU Bobcats. Reach the author at DTurchan@News-Herald.com
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